Greatness can mean different things to different people. In Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, Jay Gatsby is great in several ways. To the reader, especially in the 1920's when the book was published, he can be seen as great because he embodied the American dream to become wealthy through one's own efforts. To his community he is great because he is mysterious, wealthy, and the hub of social activities of celebrities and the newly rich. Finally, to Nick Carraway, Gatsby's neighbor and the author of the book, Gatsby is great for his fatalistic idealism, his unwavering hope to win back his lost love, Daisy Buchanan.
The American Industrial Revolution at the turn of the century, coupled with the robust economy and influx of immigrants in the 1920's made the American dream (one's ability to become successful through hard work and determination) a point of pride for most Americans (Cliff's 9). On one level Gatsby's greatness is his self-reliance, his fulfilling of the American dream. He came from a family of "shiftless and unsuccessful farm people" (104). Before earning his riches he lived hand-to-mouth, working "as a clam digger and a salmon fisher." Rather than remain poor, however, Gatsby took it upon himself to rise into affluence. He changed his name, gleaned knowledge from his mentor, Dan Cody, and embarked upon a lucrative, albeit unscrupulous, career selling alcohol during Prohibition. By the time Nick meets him, Gatsby is famous in West Egg, a hot spot for celebrities and the newly rich, for his impressive house and frequent, extravagant parties. After Gatsby's death, his father comes to the house for the funeral and is also impressed and proud of his son's material accomplishments (180). Though his accomplishments are made through illegal activities and unappreciated by those from East Egg, where the "old rich" reside, he has succeeded in his endeavors to become rich and thus has accomplished the American Dream by most people's standards.
The Great Gatsby- Essay The novel "The Great Gatsby" is a story about mistaken identity. ... "The Great Gatsby" is a man who threw great parties and lived in a mansion. ... In Gatsby's attempt to win Daisy back, he bought a great mansion with the millions that he inherited. ... This created a whole new look to Gatsby's identity. ... Later Jay Gatsby is killed by Mr. ...
The entire spectrum of social classes during the 1920's is represented in The Great Gatsby. ... The Great Gatsby accurately portrays the rich during the booming 1920's. ... In the first two chapters of The Great Gatsby, its title character is quite mysterious - an enormously wealthy, fun-loving local celebrity with a suspicious past who throws lavish weekly parties. ... As the novel progresses, we see that the myth of "the Great Gatsby" was created by Gatsby himself. ... In The Great Gatsby, the Valley of Ashes between West Egg and New York City consists of a long stretch of deso...
Deeper Thought: the symbolism of "The Great Gatsby" It is understood that in language, each word has a specific understood meaning, and each combination of words has a compiled meaning. ... Fitgerald used amazing symbolism throughout the book "The Great Gatsby", and it forces the reader to consider each word for more than face value. Because of the great quantity of underlying symbolism within the story, it is difficult to select just two aspects to focus on. ... Gatsby views Daisy as embodied perfection, and his longing for her is so great that the green light is like seeing true ...
Nick Carraway the narrator of The Great Gatsby has qualities, which are the complete opposite of those of Tom Buchanan, his cousin-in-law. ... Gatz said something that Nick disagreed with, Nick still hesitantly, agreed with him, as to not hurt an old man's feelings; as apparent by the following quote: "If he lived, he would have been a great man. ... Willison, to Gatsby. ... What if I did tell him (Gatsby)? ... In The Great Gatsby, there are three illicit relationships: Gatsby and Daisy, Nick and Jordan, and Tom and Myrtle. ...
The Great Gatsby The novel The Great Gatsby was written by F. ... I think that the movie "The Great Gatsby" is sucessful in capturing the work of the author on screen. I think the movie we watched in class does a nice job at capturing the mood of The Great Gatsby. One example of the movie showing the mood described in the book were Gatsby's partys. ... One thing that bothered me were the changes made to the movie "The Great Gatsby" from the book. ...
The Great Gatsby Is his novel the Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald creates Gatsby as a character who becomes great. ... Even Gatsby's father knew when he said, "If he'd lived, he'd of been a great man." (169) Little did his father know that Gatsby was already great. ... Nick saw the greatness in Gatsby. ... Gatsby truly was a great man. ...
How is The Great Gatsby a portrait of the times? The book Great Gatsby explains in a clear way how life was during the 1920's in America. ... In "The Great Gatsby", life is portrayed during the 20's. ... When Gatsby and Daisy first met, Gatsby was in the war and was very poor. ... Gatsby's money is what is known as "new money." ...
The film "The Great Gatsby- begins its story with the introduction of Nick Caraway, a native of Minnesota. ... On the surface "The Great Gatsby- is a story of ill-fated love between a man and a woman. ... Though it takes place in Long Island over a few months during the summer of 1922, "The Great Gatsby- is symbolic of the America of the 1920's as a whole, and in particular the disintegration of the American dream in an era of prosperity and materialism. ... The recklessness that led to parties and wild jazz music "represented in "The Great Gatsby- by the parties that Gatsby thro...
In the book, "The Great Gatsby," Daisy Buchanan is Tom Buchanan's wife, and Nick Carraway's second cousin. ... While Gatsby is off to war, Daisy meets a man named Tom Buchanan. ... Becoming involved with some illegal business deals, he makes a great deal of money. ... He also has many great parties in hope that Daisy would notice him. ... (This is a great example of Daisy's materialistic attitude.) ...
The Great Gatsby died? Yes, The Great Gatsby died, alone with no true friends, without love. ... The endings in the novel, "The Great Gatsby", can be changed dramatically. In the novel, "The Great Gatsby", I think Gatsby should have killed Tom, thinking that he would have Daisy all to himself. ... An ending in this book that would make Gatsby happy would be that, Tom and Jordan are flirting and dancing and having fun all night at one of Gatsby's parties. ...
